4400
by Ali-Th3-Ch3shir3-Kat
Summary: People have been abducted, returning different, and all have died. Robin is taken and comes back changed like the others, but survives, damaged but alive. The only one to survive it so far can he shed some light on what's going on? SLASH. RobinxKF
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. I'm saving up to buy Robin though. But I don't own him as of yet either.**

**A/N: This was written for the Livejournal Young Justice Anon Meme. It has a link posted there leading to it. Also, this is loosely based on the show 4400, therefore the title. Lol. Thank you!**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter One<strong>_

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><p>The school day was finally over and Dick was free! Free to go hang out with Wally downtown. Free to see that new horror movie that had come out and got amazing reviews. Free free free!<p>

Until dark.

People had been disappearing after dark only to appear weeks, or even months, later traumatized, ill, and a meta-human. So far everyone returned had died, their newfound powers too much for them. And more often then not they took out everyone around them too.

The JLA were working on it (Cause apparently Young Justice was to young for a case like this. Some of the resulting deaths were pretty gruesome. Definitely not something children should see.), but they weren't getting very much headway.

There weren't any tracks to follow and the only thing they'd been able to get out of the returnee's before their deaths were nonsensical mumblings about 'them' and their 'plans'. It wasn't much to go on and so far no one who returned lived long enough to give them anything else useful.

So, under JLA order (Batman's order really) Robin and the other teen heroes had to be home before dark. Just in case, they said, though Robin got what they really meant: Just in case what normally happens happens and one of you are taken.

So he had until dark to hang out with Wally before he had to get home and he couldn't do the normal thing stay out late or Bruce would kill him. And the fury of the Bat was not something to mess around with.

So, with quick steps, Dick rushed out of Gotham Academy, passing Artemis on the way. Outside Wally was already waiting, a smile on his face as his eyes found the form of his best friend. The boy wonder was by his side in an instant, grinning like a maniac and giving him a quick hug.

"Ready to go?"

Wally flashed a wider grin. "Hell yeah! I've been waiting all week for this! I can't believe the Bat let you go with _me_."

"Well.", Dick smirked. "I had Al help me convince him. You know no one can say no to him."

Wally nodded as they started off toward downtown. "Well, he _is_ the legendary BatButler."

Dick rolled his eyes. "You know you're the only one that calls him that."

"So what?"

Dick shook his head, smiling. "So that doesn't make him 'The Legendary BatButler' if only you call him that."

Wally snorted. "Well, if you did your duty as my best friend and went with my idea of calling him that everyone would."

"Somehow I don't think Bruce would find the nickname amusing. You know how serious he is about 'Bat' things ever since the BatCoffeemaker."

Wally shuddered. "God, that was not pretty. Burning coffee everywhere. _Everywhere_."

"Well, I told you not to do it.", Dick said smugly. "I told you it wouldn't end well, and I was right.", he smiled, looking up at the approaching Movie theater. "Since we're almost there I gotta ask, dinner or movie first?"

Wally seemed to pause to think about it, though both boys knew what his answer would be. As a speedster with a heightened metabolism food always came first. Without it his body could run out of energy and he could die. So needless to say Dick wasn't shocked by his answer.

"Dinner. Definitely dinner."

The smaller male sighed, flashing the taller boy a grin. "Somehow I knew you'd say that. Pizza?"

"You buyin'?"

Nod.

Wally grinned. "Then yes."

Dick chuckled. "Shoulda known.", he grabbed his friend's arm. "C'mon. You better not take too long. If we miss the movie I will so murder you."

Wally raised his arms in surrender. "Got it. I'll be quick."

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><p>"Dude! I knew this would happen if we went to dinner first! Seriously, three hours for a meal? Jesus dude, it's already getting dark!", Dick snarled, leaving the pizza parlor with Wally in tow, the speedster looking adequately ashamed.<p>

It had taken twenty some odd pizzas for the speedster to be adequately satisfied and full and by the time he was done Dick had been glaring at him for two hours straight, blue eyes narrowed into a miniature Bat-glare.

Now, while eating, Wally hadn't noticed, beside the slight eerie tingle it caused Dick's glare was nullified by the focus of food, but now that he was done and the smaller teen had his full attention the glare had the desired effect.

Wally was feeling slightly afraid.

The wrath of the Boy Wonder was almost as bad as the wrath of the Bat. Almost. And Wally knew this from personal experience. Lots of personal experience.

And he also knew that the best thing was to admit that he was wrong, Rob was right, apologize, and hope the acrobat went easy on him.

"Look, I'm sorry. You know how hard it is for me to resist food and with my metabolism it's rare I ever get the chance to eat till I'm full.", The speedster said quickly, reaching out for the smaller teen. "I really didn't mean to make us miss the movie."

Dick snorted. "Yeah well, we still missed it. Just like the last _three_ movies we tried to see. When are you gonna get serious about this?"

Wally sighed. "I'm sorry Dick, I really am. L-Let me walk you home. Please."

Dick shook his head. "No. Just...no. Go home. We'll try again in a few days. I just need to be alone."

"Dick..."

The raven haired teen shook his head. "Go home Wally. Please."

The redhead gave a sigh, giving the smaller male a quick hug before turning to go. "Okay Dick. I'm sorry. Call me when you get home...just to let me know you got there okay?"

The boy wonder nodded lightly. "I will."

With a brief sigh, as if to say more, Wally took one look at his best friend before dashing off, guilt heavy in his heart.

As soon as the speedster was gone Dick started the trek back to Wayne Manor, eyes focused on the ground as he walked down the near empty streets of Gotham.

He didn't understand why this kept happening. Why nothing quite worked out for him. It wasn't that hard was it? The rest of the world did it and never had things like this happen. So why couldn't it be easy for him? Was it something about him?

Did god like messing with him or something?

There was a soft cawing and he looked up, eyes widening when he realized that he wasn't quite sure where he was and that he was looking straight at a raven. It looked like he was somewhere in the slums of downtown, near the warehouse district.

He didn't normally have to go down here. Despite what one might assume, not much crime happened in the actual slums of Gotham. It all took place in the center, where everything was shiny and bright, or at least, bright as was possible in Gotham City.

Gothamites were proven crazy so it made sense that everything else in Gotham would be crazy too and crime was no exception. Dick fully admitted that he was a bit mentally off, but living here did that to people.

The raven cawed again and Dick couldn't help but move closer, staring at it. It stared right back and he was struck by how brave it was for a bird. He was tempted to reach out, but it flew off before he got a chance. Apparently he'd gotten to close even for the brave raven.

He let out a sigh and turned to head back the way he came, hoping to get back to the main road which led straight home, but stopped suddenly as sudden realization dawned on him.

It was dark.

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><p>Wally was halfway home, wind blowing through his hair, when he stopped suddenly. Despite what Dick wanted he couldn't just run home. It was already dark and Dick was nowhere near as fast as him.<p>

He turned, glancing back the way he came and sighed.

He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if something happened to Richard because he wasn't with him. He'd never forgive himself.

He was going back.

And with that in mind he sped back towards Gotham.

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><p>Dick had started walking faster, something inside him telling him that if he didn't move it something very bad would happen. It was a chill down his spine and the hairs raising on the back of his neck, and if being Robin had taught him anything it was that he had to listen to those kinds of feelings.<p>

The feeling got worse and he picked up the pace, breaking into a run. He dashed wildly, unsure of why he felt so afraid suddenly. He ran at full speed until-

slam!

He smacked right into someone, sending himself sprawling gracelessly to the ground, all the air leaving his lungs in a quick gust.

He felt panic rise in his chest only for it to dissipate when a familiar voice rang out.

"Jesus! You okay Dick?"

He looked up to see Wally standing over him, eyes searching his face, and realized how stupid he must look freaking out like he was. He was a freaking superhero for Christ's sake! He shouldn't be scared of being alone in the dark.

So with a brave face he stood up, brushing himself off. "F-Fine. What are you doing here?"

Wally gave a guilty sigh. "I know you told me to go home, but I was worried about you. With all those people going missing lately..."

"Look, Wally I'm fine-"

The redhead cut him off. "I'm sorry for wrecking our first date-_again_-just please let me walk you home. I just wanna make sure you get home safe."

Dick looked like he wanted to refuse, but nodded instead, sighing. "Okay fine. You can walk me home." and after a moments consideration. "And I accept your apology."

Wally gave a happy grin. "Thanks.", he glanced around. "Let's get you home before the Bat decides to kill me for 'keeping you out' again, huh?"

Dick nodded. "Yeah, okay."

Wally leaned down. "Hop on, we'll zip over there."

Dick nodded, moving forward only to pause, eyes narrowing. Something wasn't right and this time he wasn't just being paranoid.

Wally seemed to notice his pause and turned to look at him fully. "What's wrong?"

Dick frowned. "I'm not sure...", he looked around. "Somethings not right..."

There was something in the air. A soft humming sound, like electricity pumped through power lines. He looked around to see if any were nearby, but there weren't any. They were still in the slums and Gotham's low district didn't have power most of the time.

He turned to Wally, eyebrows furrowing. "Do you hear that?"

The older teen frowned, listening closely before nodding. "That buzzing sound? Yeah. What _is_ that?"

"I don't know.", Dick frowned. "But it's getting louder."

The noise was steadily increasing and suddenly there was light accompanying it, lighting up the entire area. Dick and Wally could see each other's blurry figures even as the light became brighter and brighter and the steady hum became an all encompassing shrill whine.

They covered there eyes as it became to bright, and collapsed to their knees as the noise shook their cores. Then, just as the rush of light and sound became unbearable...

it vanished.

And the street was once again dark.

Wally kept his hand over his eyes for a few more minutes as the effect faded then shakily got to his feet, lowering it. He looked around ready to ask Dick what the hell that was, but felt his heart freeze.

"Dick...?", He spun around examining the now empty street. "Dick?"

Dick was gone.

"_DICK!_"

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><p><strong>Dun Dun Duh! Dramatic no? I really hoped you like it! This is only my third chapter fic for Young Justice, so I'm not sure how good it is. My other two, <em><span>Being a sex symbol sucks<span>_ and _Demon Days_, got a lot of reviews so I must be doing something right. Right? Anyways, please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. I'm saving up to buy Robin though. But I don't own him as of yet either.

**A/N: This was written for the Livejournal Young Justice Anon Meme. It has a link posted there leading to it. Also, this is loosely based on the show 4400, therefore the title. Lol. Thank you!**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter Two<strong>_

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><p>Two months.<p>

Two whole months since Robin had vanished without a trace. Since Wally West had watched the person he loved vanish into thin air. _Two whole months _of searching and finding absolutely nothing that could help to find the teen hero.

It was like he was just _gone_.

The league had exhausted every avenue they had in the case to no avail, but they still refused to give up. This was Robin after all. Sweet, mischievous, caring Robin.

He was known and loved by everyone.

Some were taking it harder than others of course, namely Batman, Superman, and of course, Wally, but even those who barely knew the boy wonder were putting all their effort into finding him. A child's disappearance always caused a panic and despite being a hero, Robin was still very much a child. Only thirteen years old.

His disappearance left a feeling of unease among everyone. A feeling of helplessness. And no one felt more helpless than Wally West.

He'd been there. Right beside him, maybe three feet away. He'd been there and he hadn't done a thing to stop it.

He should have never left him alone when he asked him to. He should have stayed like a good boyfriend would. Then Robin wouldn't have taken so long to get home and he wouldn't have had to run back and spend all that time apologizing when he should have been taking him home. Then he'd still be there, instead of missing.

And Wally'd be laughing and joking with him instead of sitting alone in his room, starving himself and wallowing in depression.

But that wasn't what happened and he _was _sitting alone in his room wallowing in self pity, a picture of him and his best friend-his boyfriend-clutched in his hand as he cried silently. It had become routine since Robin's disappearance.

Soon enough Barry would come and beg him to eat something, if only enough to keep him from starving and he would once again refuse, brushing off the older speedster's concern despite the fact that he was barely making it by on power bars and Gatorade.

He knew he needed to eat. Everyone tried to convince him to come out, if only to eat, but he just didn't have an appetite anymore. He couldn't eat while Robin was missing. It just seemed wrong.

So he stayed locked away in his room at Mount Justice, refusing to go home or go to school. Refusing to go on with his life until Robin was back where he belonged.

A knock on his door and a familiar voice dragged him from his thoughts.

"Wally..."

He sighed, turning to face the door. "Come in."

The door slid open and the Flash made his way inside, looking sadly at his nephew. He had a plate with two slices of pizza in his hands and offered it out to the depressed teen, a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Brought you some pizza."

Wally frowned sadly. "Not hungry."

Barry mirrored his expression, eyes full of pain. "You have to eat something other than power bars Kid. Please."

"'m not hungry."

"Wally..."

The young speedster shook his head quickly, tears slipping down his cheeks. "I can't eat. Not until he's back. If I can't search for him I can at least do this."

Barry growled lightly. "Do what? Starve for him?"

Wally shook his head wildly. "No! W-Wait for him..."

"Wally,", Barry set the plate down on the teens dresser and sat beside his nephew. "I know you're hurt and I know you want to search for him, but starving yourself isn't helping. You're only hurting yourself. Do you think he'd want you to starve?"

Wally growled, standing up. "Don't do that!"

"Do what?", his uncle cried, raising his arms in exasperation.

"Talk about him like he's dead! He's not!", Wally said quickly. "He's not dead..."

He looked down at his hands, slowly sliding back onto his bed. He turned his head to look over at his uncle, green eyes empty of their usual spark.

"Everyone else who vanished came back. They were sick, but they came back and Robin-Robin will too.", He said softly.

Barry looked down at his lap, wondering how to respond. He swallowed thickly and decided to ask what he felt he needed to. He had to know what would happen to his nephew if Robin returned like the others. If, god forbid, he ended up like the others.

"And if he ends up like them?", Barry asked softly, putting a hand on Wally's slightly trembling shoulder. "What then?"

Wally snarled at the older speedster, shoving his hand away. "He won't! Robin is stronger than them. He'll survive..."

"Wally I'm just trying to prepare you for what's most likely going to happen.", Barry put his hand back on the teen's shoulder, turning him to face him. "Even if he comes back Robin's only human."

Wally swallowed thickly, the truth stinging more than his own guilt, and stood up. His hands shook as he turned to face his uncle, teeth clenched.

"Please leave Uncle Barry."

The older speedster sighed, standing up. "We're all worried about you. That's all I'm trying to say.", another sigh when he got no response. "Will you at least eat the pizza?"

Wally gave a sigh, seeming to deflate. "If I eat it will you leave me alone?"

Barry shrugged. "Maybe."

Wally gave a defeated sigh and picked up the plate, taking a small bite of one of the pizza slices and chewing slowly. He turned to glance at his uncle hoping that the bite was enough of a gesture to get him to leave. He wanted to be alone.

Thankfully, it seemed enough as Barry gave him a small strained smile. "Thank you."

Wally gave a nod, relaxing when his uncle closed the door, and let the tears slip down his cheeks. Barry had made a valid point and Wally as a man of science couldn't disregard what he'd said simply because of his own feelings.

Everyone else who'd been taken and returned had died. Logic dictated that the same would happen to Robin. Barry had been right. Robin was only human. Just like the others who had been taken. And he would end up just like the others.

Wally snarled suddenly throwing the plate on his lap at the wall, splattering pizza all over it. "NO! No no no...no...NO!"

Outside the door Barry felt tears slip down his cheeks as his nephew screamed and sobbed, his pain Earth shaking. The man felt his heart go out to his nephew, unable to imagine how hard losing not only your best friend but the one you loved and knowing they would be returned only to waste away and die in front of you.

With an immense effort he tore himself away from the sounds of his nephews sobbing and, grabbing a plate of pizza he'd left in the hall, went to go try his hand at convincing the Bat to eat.

He'd been up in the watchtower going over the evidence since Robin's disappearance and recently had followed Wally in forgetting to eat. They left him food, but he never ate it, too busy searching for a clue as to where his son was.

Everyone was worried about him. They'd originally elected Superman to talk to him being as he was the closest to the Bat beside the missing Robin, but Batman hadn't listened. He'd simply stated that his son needed him and he couldn't let Robin down.

In the end they'd given up trying to convince him to slow down and eat. They still brought him meals and Barry occasionally begged him to eat something, explaining that it would do Robin no good if he passed out from starvation and ended up in the hospital. That usually got a meal or so out of him, which was more than they could really hope for.

Barry turned the corner on his way to the transporters only to be stopped by Red Arrow, the teen looking at him with a bit of hope. He'd joined them in the search for Robin as soon as he heard and, despite his anger with Ollie, had showing up daily to check on Wally.

"How is he?", The archer asked softly. "Did you get him to eat?"

Barry gave a sort of shrug. "He took a bite this time."

Roy nodded. "It's an improvement at least.", he looked at the plate in the speedster's hands. "That for Bats?"

"Yeah. I'm hoping today's the day I'll convince him that food is a necessity. If I can do that then he'll probably eat.", The older male said quickly. "It's all about logic with the Bat."

Roy snorted. "Unless it has to do with Robin."

Both males suddenly fell silent, the mention of Robin bringing back the dire situation at hand. Barry decided to change the subject before things got bad again. Last time Roy started to dwell on his surrogate brother's disappearance he'd ended up destroying the training room.

"So, where are the others?"

Roy glanced out at the window. "Kaldur took them down to the beach in hopes of loosening the tension. Figured some time outside of the mountain would help keep their minds off...everything goin' on. Apparently Megan's been taking it pretty hard. Not as hard as Wally, but -uh- still pretty hard. She's sensitive y'know? At least that's what Kal said. I stayed here to keep an eye on Wally since everyone else is at the watchtower with Batman."

"Speaking of, I should probably get going before this gets cold.", Barry said quickly, looking down at the pizza before glancing back up at Roy. "Call me if you need any help with Wally."

Roy gave a curt nod. "Will do. Give -ah- Bats my greetings."

"Sure thing.", Barry said, smiling softly and stepping onto the transporter.

Then he was gone and Roy was alone. Alone with his thoughts and worries.

He sighed. "Better check on Wally."

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><p>Barry materialized at the watchtower feeling slightly better after getting Wally to eat something. It was looking like a brighter day. And then he saw Batman and the state the man was in and his bright day got a little darker.<p>

The Dark Knight was hunched over the controls of the watchtowers computer, typing furiously and glancing up ever few seconds to note what was on the screen. His skin, what was visible, was pale and sickly looking and he looked utterly exhausted.

Barry looked down at the plate of pizza in his hand and sighed, knowing he was going to end up enduring yet another heart to heart, this time with the bat.

Taking a deep breath he made his way to the Dark Knights side, setting the pizza down beside him on the console.

"Heya Bats. Hungry?"

Batman didn't even look up. "No."

"Ok-ay.", Barry gave a heavy sigh. "Look, I've already had this talk today, but what the hell. I'll give it another go. Look, Robin wouldn't want you to starve."

The bat paused, sighing and looking over at the speedster. "He'd want me to find him."

"Not at the expense of your health.", Barry said sharply. "You're no use to Robin if you pass out from exhaustion and starvation."

Batman seemed to wilt, eyes behind his mask growing sad. "I'm fine. I need to find Robin. No time to stop."

"But Bats-"

The Dark Knight snarled, slamming a hand down. "No! My son needs me. I can't let him down."

Barry raised his hands in surrender. "I know! I'm not asking you to give up or stop searching, I'm not even asking you to sleep, just please Bats...eat something. Robin wouldn't be very happy if he came back to find that you starved yourself looking for him.", he gestured to the pizza. "Eat the pizza Bats. For Robin."

The bat slumped, nodding lightly. "I'll eat the pizza. Now leave."

"Thanks Bats. Really."

Batman shot him a sharp glare. "_Leave._"

Barry gave a quick nod, backing up. "Leaving. Bye."

And with that he zipped out of the room, glad that he had convinced both Wally and Batman to eat. Sleeping was next, but hey, lets not get ahead of ourselves. He was just gonna bask in his small victory of getting them to eat.

Work on the rest later.

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><p><em>Wally was back there. In the street where Robin had vanished and his whole world had shattered. And he was alone.<em>

_He had no clue how he'd gotten there, but _

_He couldn't hold back the tears as he looked around, remembering the moment when that light had died down and he had realized Robin was gone. He let out a small sob and looked around, wondering why he was there._

_Why did he have to suffer like this? Standing at the last place he had seen his best friend/boyfriend before he'd vanished into thin air._

_He gave out an angry roar, looking around the empty street before falling to his knees. "WHY?"_

_What he didn't expect when he cried out was to receive an answer. But he did. A smooth familiar voice rang out._

"_Because I need you."_

_He turned, eyes wide, to face the speaker. "R-Rob? Is it really you?"_

_His boyfriend nodded, moving forward with his arms open. "Yeah. It's me."_

_Wally let out a half sob, running over to the smaller male, wrapping him in his arms, and snuggling his face into his neck._

"_Oh god, I missed you so much.", he pulled away, looking at Robin from arms length away. "What happened? W-Where've you been?"_

"_You mean, Where am I?"_

_Wally frowned. "W-What?"_

_Robin smirked, putting a hand on his face. "You're dreaming Walls."_

"_I-no...no. Rob please no.", The redhead whimpered, clutching his boyfriend closely._

_Robin ran his hand through the taller male's hair. "Shhhhhh. It's okay. I need you to wake up. Can you do that for me?"_

_Wally looked down at him, tears in his eyes. "I don't want to wake up. You won't be there."_

_Robin grinned at him. "But if you don't wake up how will I get home? You have to come get me."_

"_What?"_

_Robin put a hand on his cheek and pulled him close to whisper in his ear. "I'm coming home.",Wally tried to pull away, but Robin wouldn't let him. "They're bringing me back Walls. Right here.", he gestured to the empty street around them. "**Wake up.**"_

Wally shot up in bed, eyes wide and breathing heavy.

Robin.

He'd dreamed of Robin. He'd dreamed that Robin had told him he was coming back. He'd told him to wake up and go get him. That he needed him.

But it was only a dream.

He sighed, sitting up and getting out of bed. That dream had really shaken him. He reached a hand up to his cheek and wiped away a tear, looking at it sadly.

He snarled making a sudden decision despite how stupid he knew it was. He had to go. Just in case his dream was right and Robin really did need him.

So as quick as he could he got dressed, dashing through the mountain at top speed and into the chilly night air. He had to get there, just to be sure. He'd never forgive himself if Robin returned and he wasn't there.

He felt the air whip his face as he moved at top speed to Gotham, some part of him praying to god his dream was real. He reached the place in record time skidding to a stop and looking around wildly.

"Robin! Rob!", he was gasping, hoping to god his boyfriend would answer. "Dick! Dick! Dick...Please!"

Nothing. No answer .

He felt his hope shatter as he realized he was alone. No Robin. NO ROBIN.

He felt a sob escape his throat as he took in the empty street around him, not a sign of life anywhere on it. It hit him harder than he thought it would, bringing him to his knees, much like in his dream, only this was real.

The gravel beneath his knees was real and the chilled night air was real and the ringing sound was real too.

Wait.

Ringing sound?

He paused, listening. There was a humming sound. A low and familiar ring. The same ring he'd heard two months earlier when Robin had vanished in a flash of burning white light.

And it was getting louder.

And suddenly it was brighter, blinding white light beginning to fill up the empty street. It was deja vu all over again as Wally closed his eyes and covered his ears as the light and sound intensified.

He let out a sharp gasp as the light and sound vanished leaving him in silent semi-darkness. He was almost afraid to open his eyes, afraid of what he'd see.

He did it anyway of course, slowly blinking his eyes and adjusting to the change in light.

As soon as his eyes adjusted he found himself staring open mouthed shock. There before him stood Richard Grayson, dressed in a strange white stripped outfit* and swaying unsteadily.

Wally slowly stood up, moving toward him. "D-Dick?"

The smaller male smiled at him, moving to meet him only to collapse forward, Wally barely catching him before he hit the ground. He looked up, eyes half lidded, and smiled softly at him, reaching a hand to his face.

"I knew you'd come.", He whispered, eyes slipping closed.

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><p><strong>*Leeloo's outfit from Fifth Element<strong>

**There we go! Chapter two done and Robin's back! Half naked but still back! Woot! I love the angst for Wally and Bats. They've gone emo... Lol. **

**Review Please.**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. I'm saving up to buy Robin though. But I don't own him as of yet either.

**A/N: This was written for the Livejournal Young Justice Anon Meme. It has a link posted there leading to it. Also, this is loosely based on the show 4400, therefore the title. Lol. Thank you!**

**Also, this chapter will mention and introduce Robin's brothers, Jason, Tim, and Damian. I have made Robin the youngest in this, so that's a bit AU. Jason will be 19, Tim, 17, and Damian 16. Just thought I'd let ya know in case they came in and you were all "Teh Fucks? Aren't they younger?" They normally are, but I love BBBro!Robin, so...yeah. Also, Jason is Red Hood, Tim is Nightwing, and Damian is Red Robin. The team will only know them by these names cause despite not living with Bats anymore they still go by his training for the most part.**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter Three<strong>_

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><p>One week. One long week since Robin had returned and he had still yet to wake up. He'd been unconscious in the infirmary since Wally had rushed in, cradling him in his arms, that first night.<p>

The speedster had been frantic, barely understandable, and had panicked as they carted Robin away to be looked over. They had no idea how much damage whatever had happened to the teen had caused and hearing that made Wally (and the team) all the more panicked and afraid.

So far while Robin had lain comatose in the Watchtower infirmary the entire league had been busy trying to research the other cases while still keeping an eye on the unconscious boy, which was proving rather difficult. The league had decided Robin should have someone with him at all times, just in case he woke up or something less _favorable_ happened. It was better safe than sorry.

Unfortunately that meant one less helping hand in research and since Young justice and Roy refused to be too far away from their injured youngest that left them down seven people who could be handy in the search for answers.

They'd talked with all the doctors who'd treated the previous victims (more realistically Batman scared the crap out of them and interrogated them for answers), but all they could tell them was that each one had been biologically and genetically altered just enough to make a huge difference, giving them rather remarkable abilities, only for their bodies to burn out thanks to the strain the altercations put on their body.

This made the search for answers even more important, because if Robin was living on borrowed time then they had no time as a luxury. It was either find a way to fix whatever had most likely been done to the young acrobat or watch him die, most likely taking a few people with him if it went like some of the more dangerous others.

Of course there was the small possibility, fleeting and barely even real, that Robin had been spared experimentation and was comatose only because of the shock of the experience and not because someone had scrambled his DNA like a kitten with a ball of yarn. It was highly unlikely, but it was all the hope they were going to get and so many of the more sentimental league members as well as members of Young Justice held firm to the small hope that this was the case and, by some miraculous stroke of luck, Robin had been spared.

Unfortunately, for he could really use some hope, Wally was not one of them. Neither was Batman.

Both were men of science and reason and reason said that whatever had taken Robin would not have let him go unless it had finished what it had taken him for. This left both with the more determined mindset of: Robin's life is on the line and an answer _must_ be found or he _will_ die.

This left several people very worried for them as both began to neglect themselves _again_ in favor of saving Robin. Roy was one of those people and at that moment he was heading back over to the infirmary to check on Robin and Wally, hoping something changed in one of their conditions soon before he lost both his best friends for good.

He sighed, staring over at Wally, as he re-entered the infirmary. "How is he?"

"He seems very gloomy. He thinks Robin will end up like the others and it's hurting him.", Megan said softly, looking sadly at her teammate.

Artemis gave a slow nod. "I've never seen Baywatch so quiet. It's wrong."

Superboy gave a shrug, eyes on Wally and Robin as well. "Robin is dying. I think I'd be angry if he wasn't."

Suddenly a voice rang out, making the clone and the rest of the teens flinch at it's sharpness. "I _can_ hear you you know."

Kaldur, who had been reading his book set it down softly to look torridly at Wally, who was now glaring at them with all the energy he could muster. It wasn't much of a glare and that worried the Atlantean more than anything else, but he decided to focus on calming the younger males anger and worry about his health later.

"We apologize my friend, it's just that we are worried about you. You do not seem yourself lately and we know how much Robin means to you.", he gave Wally a strong look. "He means a lot to all of us as well and we are worried too, but we wish you would take better care of yourself. Robin will be very upset if he wakes up and you've made yourself ill in your worry."

Wally seemed to shrink in on himself a bit, turning to look at Robin's still form. "I just want him to wake up. I mean, we just got him back..."

He looked at a loss for words, trying hard to describe his feelings and get the words out past the heavy lump in his throat. He seemed to give up, turning to them, eyes slightly wet with unshed tears.

"You know Bats called his brothers yesterday? They're coming as soon as possible. I think he meant to call them earlier, but got so caught up he forgot. It scares me that he forgot. It's not like him, you know? It means this is bad. Really bad." Wally seemed to harden as he sat down beside Robin's bed, looking down at the young comatose teen's face sadly. I know you guys keep hoping he hasn't been altered like the others, but I just can't hope like that. It would hurt to much..."

"Why do you say that? How can having hope hurt?", Megan asked softly, floating to his side.

He sighed. "Because if I hope like that beautiful it'll hurt even more when we learn the truth. I'd rather be prepared for what's more likely to happen. Maybe then it'll hurt less."

The entire group of teens fell silent, drinking in his words and realizing that their jovial speedster was deeper than they every really would have cared to know.

* * *

><p>Batman sat in the Watchtower's main console room pouring over data from Robin's scans, a heavy scowl on what could be seen of his face.<p>

What he saw wasn't making much sense, but nothing was making much sense lately anyway. Robin was the first of the returned victims to end up like this, comatose, and that was bothering the Bat. All the others had seemed a little sick, but otherwise fine upon their returns and none so far (besides Richard) had slipped into a coma of any kind.

It was worrying that the pattern had changed.

That told him that there was something different about his son. He wasn't like the others in some way and , whether good or bad, he needed to figure out how. If he could discover what had made his youngest son fall into a deep state of unconsciousness he would be one step closer to understanding what had happened to him and fixing it.

He was coming up empty so far, but soon his older sons would be arriving and he hoped a fresh pair of Bat trained eyes could help him to figure it out. He felt a pang of annoyance at himself for having forgotten to notify them of their brother's condition earlier. Despite his rocky relationship with his oldest sons he would never hide something like this from them. It wasn't like him to forget and that was a testament to how worried he really was.

He knew the boys had noticed too. He'd seen the realization of how serious this was in their eyes when he told them Richard had gone missing and then been found only to fall into a coma. He also saw the hurt and betrayal in their eyes when they realized he'd kept hidden the fact that their baby brother had gone missing for _two whole months_, when really he'd just forgotten to tell them in his frantic search for the boy.

Despite the calm collective front he put on lately he'd been a mess. It bothered him when he realized he was still human. Still breakable. And losing his son for two months had nearly broken him.

His older sons had all gone off to do their own thing, despite the fact that Damian was only 16. They'd been fed up with the way Bruce lived and had left, leaving only Richard behind, who they came to see occasionally.

The fact that they had moved off to Bloodhaven made it all the easier to forget to tell them what was going on with their younger sibling. They only visited on big holidays really, so it wasn't like he would expect them to just pop over, not while he was there at least. They didn't have the greatest relationship after Jason's death and subsequent resurrection.

The immortal teen had hated that Bruce didn't avenge him and had booked within two weeks of being brought back. He'd bought an apartment in Bloodhaven and a year or so later Tim had joined him, angry that Bruce refused to let him branch out as a hero. Little more than six months after that Damian had followed, believing his brothers would better accept his way of _permanent_ crime fighting than his father.

To be honest Bruce understood the reasons they'd gone, but he couldn't help but be grateful that Richard had stayed behind with him. He knew he was a hard person to deal with, let alone live with, but Dick loved and stayed with him anyway.

Jason, Tim, and Damian didn't need him anymore, but Dick still did and Bruce refused to let his son down. He had to find a way to save him. He couldn't let him end up like the other victims and if that meant he'd have to deal with Jason's biting hatred, Tim's hurt looks, and Damian's skewed morals, well...he'd just have to deal with it.

His communicator went off, jolting him out of his thoughts, and he looked down, sighing when he saw who was calling. Jason.

He hit the piece in his ear. "Hello?"

"_We found the transporter phone-booth. We'll be there in a few seconds."_

Batman gave a sigh. "I'll meet you at the transporters."

"_Good."_

And with that he hung up, making Bruce groan. Apparently Jason was _still_ mad.

He stood up, sweeping from the room to go meet his oldest three sons, knowing it would be a trying meeting. He expected a lot of bitching and whining to be honest and was only doing this for Richard.

It took a few seconds for him to make his way to the transporter room where three irate looking teen heroes were waiting impatiently. They turned to glare at him when he swept into the room, cape flaring impressively, and he greeted them in turn.

"Red Hood. Nightwing. Red Robin."

Jason snarled, arms crossed. "What took you so long?"

"I had to walk all the way over here from the main console room.", Batman said firmly.

Damian stepped forward. "So where is he?"

"Follow me."

And with that he turned and strode from the room, his elder sons following closely behind talking in hushed tones.

Tim snorted. "I see he's still warm as ever."

"And here I thought Dickie-bird woulda worked all the angst outta him by now. Apparently not.", Jason sneered.

Batman growled under his breath, looking over his shoulder at them. "I can hear you."

Jason's sneer widened. "I know. That's the point."

The Bat snarled, but let his eldest's attitude pass continuing down the hall to the Watchtower's infirmary and pausing in front of the door. He was sorely tempted to open it himself and see how his son was doing, but thought better of it. If he went in he wouldn't be able to leave and Robin needed him to find answers not sit back and wallow in his pain.

He turned to look at his other sons and gestured to the door. "In here."

Tim frowned. "Aren't you coming?"

The Bat shook his head. "I have business to attend to."

And with that said he turn and strode off, leaving all three of his sons staring after him, two of the three glaring angrily at his back.

"The nerve of that asshole!", Jason snarled. "His son's in a coma and he has _'business to attend to'_! Bullsh-"

Tim sighed, putting a hand on his older brother's shoulder. "Enough Jay. You can gripe about him later. Dick needs us."

Damian nodded. "He's right. We can yell at father for this later."

And with that all three teens pushed the door open and stepped into the infirmary shocked slightly by the group of teens who turned to stare from around the infirmary bed as they walked in. The collective teens held their attention for only a moment before the three Bats eyes fell on the form_ in _the bed.

Richard lay there looking as if he was sleeping, or at least he would if he was a normal person. But for him it looked all wrong. The acrobat was _never _that still, even in his sleep. He was _always_ moving. Always doing _something_.

It disturbed his brother's to no end to see him so still and silent, lying there among the white bed sheets which contrasted sharply with his black hair and accented his pale skin.

Instinct compelled them to move towards their brother, Damian reaching out to touch the younger male's face only to be stopped by a firm hand on his wrist.

"Who are you?"

Damian looked up into the face of an exact younger copy of Superman and scowled, clenching his fist. Jason seemed to be equally outraged, glaring at the bulky male.

The eldest bat brother growled at him. "We're his brothers. Who the _hell _are you?"

Superboy scowled right back at him. "We're his team."

"Well whoopee for you,", Damian growled. "Now will you let go of my arm please?"

The clone looked down at his arm and reservedly let go, stepping back and allowing Damian access to his comatose baby brother.

The sixteen year old ran a gentle hand across his brother's face, concern in his blue eyes. Jason and Tim's eyes softened at the sight of their normally hard brother showing his softer side so openly.

He let out a chocked breath, looking up at his brothers, eyes watery. "He's so still."

Wally sighed. "It seems so wrong right?"

"He's never still. Ever.",Tim said softly, looking down at his brother, before looking up at the redhead. "So I-uh-heard he vanished on your date..."

Wally moved to respond but was interrupted by Artemis who looked at him with surprise, the surprise echoed on the faces of the other members of Young Justice (except for Kaldur of course).

Artemis glanced at Tim. "By 'date' do you mean date as in Wally and _Robin_ on a date?"

Jason snorted. "Well yeah. What else would he mean?"

" You're _dating_ Robin?", Roy asked Wally incredulously. "When were you going to tell us?"

"We've only been going out for a couple months. Five if you kind the months he was..."

"Missing?", Damian said softly.

Wally nodded. "Yeah." He looked at the team. "We were gonna tell you guys eventually, when we were ready."

The room went silent as Wally's words once again sunk in, giving another view deeper into the teen's mind.

Tim sighed, looking at the rest of them. "We should probably introduce ourselves to those of you who don't know us. I'm Nightwing," he gestured to Jason and Damian in turn. "and these are Red hood and Red Robin."

Kaldur nodded. "Nice to meet you. I am Kaldur," he gestured to the others in order. " This is Superboy, M'gann, Artemis, Roy, and you seem to already know Wally."

Jason nodded, grinning slightly at the mention of knowing the speedster. "Sure do, came down to visit him personally when we heard he was seeing our little brother. Had to make sure Robin was in good hands after all."

After that the room dissolved into easy conversation, the bat brothers easily falling in with the team and Red Arrow. But even as they talked the direness of the situation stayed strong and their eyes would occasionally dart to the still figure in the bed, making their hearts clench.

* * *

><p>It was nearly midnight when he awoke, blue eyes opening softly. He could hear the sound of the heart monitor and see the shadowed forms of his team and, if what the small whispers in his head were telling him were correct, his brothers.<p>

He absently wondered when they had gotten there, but the voices said that morning and he assumed they were right. They'd been right about Wally coming to find him after all.

He distantly knew he should be more concerned about the fact that he was hearing voices and feeling strange things from the sleeping bodies surrounding him, he almost felt like he could taste their dreams on his tongue, but he found he didn't really care. They mostly tasted nice. Except Wally's. Maybe he was having a nightmare?

He sat up slowly, carefully moving his blankets away from his legs and pulling off the heart monitor attachments.

He felt a jolt of amusement at the realization that he was still in the strange white outfit he'd appeared in. It was rather exposing, but at least he wasn't naked.

He moved his legs over the edge and carefully planted his bare feet on the cold infirmary floor. It took some effort, but he stood, carefully and quietly making his way over to the door and exiting the infirmary without waking a soul.

It took him only a few moments to move through the halls and make his way to the main console room where he knew Bruce was sleeping. The voices told him so.

And he was rewarded with the familiar vision of Bruce in the Batsuit asleep against the computer console. He smiled at the familiarity of the scene and curled up on a nearby chair, shivering slightly at the cold air.

He didn't know why but he knew Bruce would need him when he woke up, the voices were clear on that, so he stayed curled up and despite the chill fell asleep easily.

* * *

><p>The next morning Wally awoke to the sunlight streaming in the window into his face. It took a moment as he woke to realize that something was off.<p>

Robin.

He sat up, eyes staring wide at the empty infirmary bed.

Where was he? Where was Robin?

He was up faster than even he could blink, whirling the air around him and waking up the other people sleeping in the room.

Roy growled huffily at him. "Wally what the hell's wrong with you?"

The speedster turned, wide eyed. "Robin's gone!"

Those words set off a chain reaction and suddenly everything was frantic. They were all rushing about wildly, panic for the young acrobat overriding logic and reason.

"Wait! Everyone calm down." Kaldur said quickly, calming everyone down. "We must remain calm if we are to find Robin."

Suddenly a firm and recognizable called out, freezing them all in their tracks. "No need. He's right here."

They all turned to see Batman and a very familiar figure in a striped white outfit. Robin was leaning against his father figure and looking at them dazedly, blue eyes unfocused.

Jason was the first to ask what they all wanted to know. "What the hell Robin? Why'd you get up without telling us?"

The small teen seemed to look into the air for the answer and suddenly smiled softly. He moved closer to his brother, putting a hand on his head.

"The voices told me too."

* * *

><p><strong>Epic ending line or what? "The voices told me too". I waited all chapter to write that line. It was soooo worth all the finger cramps! LOL. REVIEW!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. I'm saving up to buy Robin though. But I don't own him as of yet either.

**A/N: This was written for the Livejournal Young Justice Anon Meme. It has a link posted there leading to it. Also, this is loosely based on the show 4400, therefore the title. Lol. Thank you!**

**This chapter will have Robin acting OOC, but that's a part of the story at the moment so no worries. He's just a bit mentally unstable and that makes a person a bit different, y'know. So yeah, if you were wondering why he's acting the way he is in this. **

**For those who wanted to know, Jason, Tim, and Damian will have consistent rolls throughout this fic. I love brother bonds, so yeah. Much Bro bonding shall be had!**

**(Also, my inspiration for Insane!Robin's personality as well as his extensive abilities is Annie Wheaton from Stephen King's Rose Red. I felt that he abilities and childlike attitude would fit very well with a traumatized Robin.)**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter Four<strong>_

* * *

><p>Robin was sitting on the Infirmary bed, staring blankly into space with a small smile on his face. He seemed to be listening to something or someone only he could see. Every few seconds he'd nod or shake his head like he was answering some unanswered questions.<p>

He'd been like that since Batman had brought him back in that morning, Robin saying only one sentence before sitting down and starting into his silent conversation.

Young Justice, Robin's brother's, and Batman watched him carry on while they waited for the arrival of Martian Manhunter. Batman had checked Robin over physically when he'd been comatose and they only had to wait a few more days for the results to return, but in lo of what had happened earlier Batman felt he needed a mental examination as well and J'onn was the best suited for the job.

M'gann had offered but Batman (and Red hood, Nightwing, and Red Robin) had expressly told her no, claiming that even the slightest mistake could cause harm to Robin or M'gann herself and it was best to just let J'onn do it as he was far more experienced. M'gann had been upset that she couldn't help, but she concede to their point.

Now they were just watching and waiting, all of them slightly unnerved by Robin's increasingly strange behavior. Not that they hadn't expected him to be different. A little off. Everyone returned had been and so they'd been expecting him to act a bit off, but seeing it was a lot more upsetting than any of them had thought it'd be.

"He's here."

Everyone jumped at he sound of Robin's voice. It was accompanied by the sound of Robin's bare feet hitting the linoleum floor (He still hadn't changed out of the strange white garment he'd appeared in) as he got down off the infirmary bed.

He looked around at them and seemed upset that they hadn't answered his remark, slight frustration clear in his eyes. "_He's_ _here._"

He moved over past them to the door just as it slid open and J'onn J'onzz floated in, staring down at Robin's close proximity in shock. Though the shock was barely evident Batman and M'gann could see it clear as day. His eyes were focused intently on Robin who was smiling up at him softly with an odd look on his face. The same look from before when he'd been sitting and staring off into nothing.

J'onn had the same look on his face too. He seemed to be listening intently to something only he and Robin could hear.

M'gann gave a sudden gasp of pain, hand moving to her head and catching everybody but J'onn and Robin's attention. At the concerned looks she was given she motioned to Robin and her uncle who still hadn't moved or said a word.

"I tried to listen in. I-I heard strange voices then nothing. He threw me out."

Batman frowned. "J'onn?"

"No." M'gann shook her head, shocked, and pointed. "Robin."

Everyone turned to look at him, shocked when he broke eye contact with J'onn and looked right back at them, he and J'onn speaking at the same time.

"I can't help you. Not yet."

J'onn broke off and this time it was just Robin that spoke.

"I can't tell you anything. Not yet." He looked down at his hands then back up at them. "It's not time yet."

Everyone paled as he tilted his head, his eyes looking far older than they should, and this time when his words rang out they weren't out loud but rather in their minds, much like M'gann or J'onn when they used their powers, in his smooth voice.

_'You're not ready yet.'_

He then moved over to Wally's side and put out his hand, smiling softly at him as if nothing odd had just happened. "Hey, Walls. Wanna go play video games?"

Wally looked down at the extended hand in shock before looking up at the others in the room, eyes stopping on Batman. The Dark Knight looked over his son before giving a small nod, telling Wally it was alright.

He glanced at the other teens, eyes narrowing behind his cowl. "That's a good idea, why don't you all go with them.", The Bat turned and looked over at J'onn. "I need to talk to J'onn alone."

They all shared concerned looks before nodding and slowly filing out, Wally leading Robin out by the hand. As they left the redhead leaned down to Robin' sear, wrapping an arm around the smaller male's shoulders.

"Why don't we get you some other clothes first?"

"I don't have clothes here." Robin said looking up at him curiously, before pausing like he had before and looking into thin air. "I'd like that. Thank you."

Wally frowned down at him. "Like what?"

"To borrow some of yours.", Robin said simply. "That's what you were going to offer right?"

Wally nodded numbly, turning to share a look with the others. His fear was reflected in all of their faces, M'gann's more than anyone else's. She still seemed disturbed that he'd thrown her out of his mind.

Jason looked at his little brother with concern clear in his eyes. "Di-Robin how did you know that?"

Robin looked at his brother with the same look he'd given Wally. "I heard it."

"Did the voices tell you?", Tim asked softly.

Robin shook his head softly giving an amused smile. "No. They only tell me important things. Things you're not ready to know yet. This I just heard. I heard it like Megan does."

M'gann gave him a look of understanding. "You read his mind."

Robin's smile widened and he nodded at her. He looked around at all of them, eyes taking in the looks on their faces, before his smile dropped and he seemed to return more to himself than he had been since they'd gotten him back.

"It hurts to hear them. Your thoughts.", he paused. "I'm not made to, but they changed that. They changed_ me_."

Roy moved over to him quickly, grabbing his shoulders. "Who? Who did this to you?"

"Robin, who are_ they_?", Jason added.

Robin seemed to pause to think his eyes moving to look at the floor as he took deep breaths, seemingly focused on the question. He looked like he was listening again, head tilted to the side and eyes distant. A few minutes passed like that before his head suddenly jerked to the floor, his body shaking.

"Y-You're not ready to know yet. It's not time for you to know yet.", He seemed to struggle for a moment and there was a strange tremor in the furniture around them before he sighed softly and looked at them all with a small smile. "Can I get changed now?"

They all stared silently at him, faces drawn with worry and confusion at both his words and the strange shaking of the furniture, before Kaldur finally broke the silence, moving to the thirteen year old's side swiftly.

"Of course. Wally will take you to get some better clothes and you'll meet up with us in the living room to watch a movie together.", he gave a small smile, nervous but still a smile. "How does that sound?"

Robin smiled dreamily and nodded. "That sounds nice.", he grabbed at Wally's arm, tugging it slightly. "Come on Wally."

The redhead let himself be dragged off towards his room by his petite boyfriend, glancing back at the others as they watched them go, only turning to head for the living room when they vanished from sight.

Robin dazedly dragged Wally straight to his room, plopping on the bed while the redhead moved over to the closet and dug out the spare clothes he kept at the mountain for sleepovers. He kept them specifically for when missions were particularly exhausting or dragged on and he just couldn't make it home.

He turned around, a long sleeved white tee shirt and pair of sweats in his hands, only to drop them when he saw Robin.

The raven haired teen was completely _naked_. He was standing there, naked as the day god made him, with the strange white outfit he'd been wearing crumpled at his feet.

Wally blushed at the sight, putting a hand up to cover his eyes. "Rob, what are you doing?"

Robin smiled, obviously amused by Wally's reaction. "I'm changing. Duh."

"You're naked!"

Robin chuckled, grabbing up the clothes Wally had dropped. "Well, yeah. I can't exactly change if I don't take off what I was wearing before now can I?"

"W-Why didn't you wait for me to leave the room?" ,Wally stuttered.

Robin frowned, though Wally couldn't see it past his hands, and continued changing. "I didn't realize it would bother you so much. I'm sorry." ,He finished slipping on Wally's over-sized clothes and looked over at the redhead. "You can look now."

Wally lowered his hand and carefully peeked at the smaller male just to be sure he was fully clothed. When he saw that he was he opened his eyes all the way and couldn't help but grin at the sight of Robin in his clothes.

Robin was practically swallowed up by the swaths of fabric, making him look like a living pile of cloth with a head. The sleeves of Wally's shirt went well past his hands ,ending at Robins thighs, and the sweatpants bagged around his ankles, obscuring his bare feet.

Wally let out a barking laugh, making Robin frown at him.

"What's so funny?", The raven haired teen asked, crossing his arms.

Wally gave a small chuckle before stopping and moving over to pull Robin into his arms. "My clothes are huge on you.", at the look Robin gave him he pulled him closer and added. "No worries. It's cute."

Robin smiled up at him. "Really?"

"Yeah.", Wally gave a nod. "You're always cute dude."

Robin smiled and grabbed his arm, moving back into the hall with Wally following. The taller male allowed himself to be dragged by Robin again, but only for a few minutes before stopping. He froze, Robin stopping with him, and turned the raven haired teen to face him.

"I missed you."

Robin tilted his head curiously. "I missed you too, but it's okay." , he moved closer to Wally and put a hand on his cheek. "I'm here now."

"Where were you?"

Robin's smile dropped and his eyes became haunted. "You're not ready to know that yet."

Wally gave a small growl. "Why Rob? Why aren't I ready yet? What is so bad I can't know?", he gave a small whimper and looked at Robin sadly. "Why can't you tell me?"

Robin looked up at him, eyes darkening. The room started shaking gently as he tilted his head and listened to whatever the voices were saying. As he listened the shaking grew more and more fervent and intense and his eyes became unfocused. And as the entire cave began to shake and the walls cracked Wally thought for a second that he could hear whispered screams and see flashes of something like a battlefield- a_ war,_ with Robin screaming in the background 'No, No, NO!' and sobbing.

And when Robin spoke Wally could hear the pain in his voice, the sound of oncoming tears. And when Wally looked up at him, the room shaking and thrashing around him, he saw that Robin was indeed crying, his pale cheeks tear streaked.

"You're not ready! You're not ready! The voices know Wally, they know best! You're not ready!", The shaking stopped suddenly, Robin seeming to fall back into his calm daze, and the raven haired boy put hand on Wally's cheek again. "Not yet."

At that moment the others as well as Batman and the Martian Manhunter entered the hallway, eyes wide and panicked (everyone but Batman and Martian Manhunter of course. They just looked..._b___lasé__). Almost immediately they all asked the same question, though the tone was different for each person. In the end it was Batman that got it across in full.

"What happened?"

Wally could only gasp out one word, the shock in his eyes clear. "R-Robin..."

All eyes turned to the dazed brunette smiling dreamily at them swamped in Wally's over-sized clothes. He seemed perfectly at ease with what had just happened, though slightly perturbed as he looked at them all apologetically.

"I'm sorry. They said this would happen."

Batman frowned lightly. "They said what would happen?"

Robin looked down at his hands. "They said I'd be different. Like the others.", he looked up at them. "The others were wrong. They didn't listen. They didn't understand that it's necessary."

Before the other's could even ask why J'onn replied for Robin. "You're not ready yet."

The raven haired teen nodded, moving over to smile up at the stoic Martian. As he stood in front of him, looking up, J'onn looked down at him with a look of sadness. Robin simply smiled wider, his smile sincere.

"Don't worry.", The small teen said softly. "I'm okay."

He seemed to lose focus, eyes staring off into the distance as he looked at the Martian. For several minutes they held a silent conversation and M'gann didn't dare try to listen in this time, afraid of the pain Robin caused by blocking her out earlier. Then suddenly Robin turned to face the other teens as if nothing had happened.

"Weren't we going to watch a movie?"

Everyone felt the tension drain slightly, collectively letting out a breath. They seemed to feel more at ease when he was out of it like this as it was much less frightening and worrisome than when he stopped to listen to voices only he could hear or gave them cryptic warnings.

Jason nodded, looking around at the others. "Yeah. Why don't we go do that now. You can even pick the movie."

Robin grinned a familiar grin and grabbed hold of Wally's arm again, dragging the redhead after him as he headed to the living room. Most of the others followed, watching the small teen closely, but Jason didn't. He stayed behind, looking over at his father and the Martian Manhunter.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?", He asked his adopted father, eyes narrowed.

The Bat gave a sigh no one else would hear him make. "I don't know what's going on."

He looked over to J'onn, their prior conversation after the children had left coming into his mind. J'onn's words still echoed in his head, repeating themselves over and over.

_'He turned to the Martian as soon as the children were gone, eyes blazing. "What was that?"_

"_You are not ready to know.", J'onn replied firmly._

_Bruce snarled, taking a threatening step forward. "Richard is my son J'onn! I need to know what happened. I need to know why it happened. For Richards safety!"_

_J'onn put a hand on his shoulder, red eyes full of understanding. "I know you are worried Bruce, but on this you must trust me. Trust Robin."_

_The Martian let his arm fall away, floating over towards the far wall, and looked down at the floor, eyes dark. He seemed to be caught up in dark thoughts, his hands shaking slightly._

"_You are not ready to know Bruce.", he paused before turning to look over his shoulder at the Bat. "I wish that I did not know.", his eyes seemed to go dull, like all the light inside had suddenly gone out "It serves a purpose my friend and though the others who had been taken did not understand this I fear Robin does. He understands far better than even I do."_

"_What purpose?", Bruce asked, far softer than Batman ever would._

_He was not asking as a colleague, as Batman, but rather as a friend. This was Bruce asking-no, begging- J'onn to help him. He was asking his friend to help him save his son from whatever was coming that Richard believed he was not ready to face._

_And for a minute it looked like J'onn would answer. He could see the understanding in the Martian's red eyes. He knew J'onn understood the desperation he felt. The need to help his son. And he felt the Martian's resolve weaken momentarily..., before becoming suddenly firm once again._

"_You are not ready to know."_

_And before Bruce can reply, angrily or otherwise, the shaking starts and he knows that something is wrong with Robin and this conversation is over.'_

As the memory faded he turned to glance at his oldest son, a hardness in his eyes that showed that at that moment he is Batman and not Bruce. And the words he said next where both for his son and himself.

"We aren't ready to know."

* * *

><p>Later that night, curled up with his brother's in the living room of Mount Justice, those words echoed in Jason's head.<p>

_We aren't ready to know._

Looking down at the teens around him, all curled up and watching the movie playing on the TV screen, he understood. They probably weren't ready for whatever it was his brother had been through. Whatever was coming too.

He probably wasn't ready either. When it came to Dick he, Tim, and Damian would never be ready to hear about half the horrible things that had happened to him. He was the baby after all.

But that begged the question, _Was Robin ready?_

He looked down at his little brother and jumped a bit when he found himself staring straight into his little brother's ice blue eyes. Richard (the team would know that was his name soon since he hadn't been wearing his mask when he'd returned or since) looked up at him like he _knew_. He knew just what his older brother was thinking.

And his words confirmed it.

"Don't worry Jay. _I'm_ ready. And soon you will be too."

* * *

><p><strong>What does Robin mean? Hmmmmm? What aren't they ready for? What other changes has he gone through? What other powers does he possess? Is Robin as okay and in control as he seems?<strong>

**Cookies for anyone who can guess what they aren't ready to know yet. **

**REVIEW!**


	5. AN: This fic is still going!

**Hello All! Ali-Th3-Ch3shir3-Kat here! :)**

**I just wanted to let you know this story has not been forgotten. I've been swamped with schoolwork, then the death of a close friend, and Christmas. I'm posting this A/N on all my ongoing fics so you know I haven't given up and will finish them. I apologize for the lack of update once again but have no fear: I'm on it! **

** Thank you all for holding on and cutting me some slack!**


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